Donor gives Manhattanville $5 million

PURCHASE — Manhattanville College is $5 million richer thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor.

Interim President Jon C. Strauss announce the gift, which is the largest in the school’s 170-year history, this week.

It is an unrestricted donation over three years to benefit the college’s highest priority strategic initiatives.

“We are delighted to receive this wonderful gift that will help Manhattanville achieve its mission ‘to educate students to be ethical and socially-responsible leaders in a global community,” Strauss said in a news release. “The gift will be used to strengthen academic excellence initiatives, provide for additional campus capital improvements, and create a new fund for the incoming President, when selected, to implement initiatives identified in the College’s strategic plan. This gift will help ensure that Manhattanville remains competitive in a rapidly changing world.”

Earlier this year Manhattanville College’s Board of Trustees approved a $4.5 million capital improvement plan. The first phase, with $2.75 million allocated, is funding renovations taking place over the summer to improve residential and academic buildings. The second phase is scheduled to continue this work next summer.

Andrew Klappholz covers Real Estate for The Journal News. He originally joined the Gannett company in 1998 as a reporter with The Asbury Park Press in New Jersey. Since then, he's held a variety of writing and editing positions, including a stint as editor of The Item weekly paper. An avid fan of sports (In this order: Mets, NY Giants and Indiana Hoosier basketball) and music (Springsteen), Andrew also works as a communications consultant for TheLadders.com.